Sasquatch 2014, Day 1: Mogwai

The final act to be affected by the mid-afternoon Bigfoot set delay at Sasquatch, Mogwai were fortuitous enough to be the only set to perform in full darkness. Although the Glaswegian quintet don’t move much onstage – save for Stuart Braithwaite’s possessed, wide-eyed wiggle – their dark lighting was a suitable visual component for their crashing post-rock on a cold, breezy night. The quality of Mogwai’s shows depends heavily on the loudness of their volume and their setlist, but it was perhaps Friday’s loudest set and it was heavy on Rave Tapes and Mr. Beast material, two of their more consistent albums, so it was a clear winner. Visa problems had prevented them from playing Sasquatch 2012, but the Mogwai faithful were still there on Friday night, opting to miss at least part of Outkast until the final noise/strobe light crescendo rang out over the Gorge.